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 enlarge | Author: Junot Diaz
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $11.51
You Save: $13.44 (54%)
New (60) Collectible (24) from $12.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  201 reviews
Sales Rank: 989
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.8 x 2.1
ISBN: 1594489580
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781594489587
ASIN: 1594489580
Publication Date: September 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Hardcover. Ex Public Library, Light circulation. Very nice reading condition. Dustjacket in protective Mylar Plastic. May have usual markings, stickers or pocket. Shipped promptly via USPS. Thank you for shopping with us!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Come for the language -- stay for the wonder August 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It takes cojones to promise that a story will be wondrous; indeed, that very word kept me from reading the book for several weeks. Wonder, which I associate with "the world of Disney," is usually something to avoid for fear of marketing. It's by no means the state of mind of most readers as they read Diaz's multi-voiced text. Oscar seems sad, pathetic, amusing, and stubborn - even his heroic act of romantic rebellion in the novel's climax seems as adolescent as his taste in literature. And yet it lingers, perhaps because the novel's poignant sadness has such deep roots in reality. The whole story has the pop quality of a comic book or fantasy fiction, but the exaggeration doesn't prevent the reader from becoming immersed in the deeper currents of feeling in the family Cabral. Engrossed in juggling Dominican history, family narrative, and allusions from the worlds of fantasy, anime, comics, video games, music, and literature, the reader finds himself increasingly bound to the characters, despite whatever feelings he may have about their personalities or the storyteller's hyperbole. Indeed, the distance between reader and narrative is a lot like the narrator's distance from the family he describes. It's clear that the author knows a thing or two about how books have worked in the past and what might be appropriate for this particular cultural moment. The result is a novel that feels post-modern but not at all trendy. Wonder is part of the game plan, and as days separate the reader from the last page it increasingly becomes the keynote. The story seemed ordinary, the language seemed funny and light, and yet even a month later I'm still moved when I remember the story. I wonder how he made that happen?
The spectacular thing about this book, though, is the language. From first page to last this is a Spanglish aria, full of irreverence, zest, and rude truth. It's a swaggering performance reeling with new phrases and fresh combinations. It reminds me of listening to a song by M.I.A. - there are bits and pieces of stuff I've heard on the street, but it's a whole new mash-up. I laughed from beginning to end, whether at the jokes or the sheer vitality of the narrator's self-assertion. The women's narrations sometimes sounded too much like the narrator, but they seemed like a game though limited attempt on his part. I'm not at all sure what Diaz might sound like apart from Yunior, but that requires closer examination of his other works. I'm eager to read Drown, but for the time being it's great to just hang out in the company of this narrator and listen to the sound of his voice, which has all the authenticity (and delightful artifice) of Huck Finn. I wouldn't write a history paper based on the Dominican history in the footnotes, but for readers just getting their feet wet in the Trujillan swamp or for people who know the story from writers like Vargas Lllosa, it's a strong and emotional version of the truth. Inviting deeper engagement with the "facts," Oscar Wao takes its place on the shelf beside texts like One Hundred Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children as an historical novel of the near-past and present.
Well-deserving of the Pulitzer! August 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
After Junot Diaz's collection of short stories was released some years ago, the eyes of the literary world waited, with much anticipation, for the results of his first full-length attempt. By all accounts, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao did not disappoint and went on to win the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for long fiction.
This story of a 300-lb, D&D loving, fantasy-adventure writing, Dominican nerdboy is funny, tragic, pitiful and sweet all at the same time. Told through the voices of those who know him best, it is a wonderfully fleshed-out account of a young man's life viewed from the many different angles and points that give us all our form, and never is it clearer than when driving home the point that no one of us is an island, and that no matter how we fight it, we are to some extent - more than most of us would probably like - products of our heritage, our upbringing, and the actions and words of those who love us - and, just as significantly or perhaps even more so, those who don't.
This book is all straight talk - nothing flowery here. At times vulgar and crass, even a little shocking, it might make your eyes widen a few times, but at least it's with feeling. I particularly enjoyed the viewpoint given by Lola, Oscar's sister, as she rages with her dying mother, who is no less a controlling tyrant even when facing death. If I were to express one wish to Mr. Diaz, it would be to write a companion novel just about Lola.
I don't think I've ever before read a novel where the subject matter varies so widely and vividly, from Oscar's obsession with the fantasy genre to the brutal reign of Rafael Trujillo, the former president of the Dominican Republic. You might wonder how on earth these two subjects could meet in one book, but they do, and in a way that makes you see how inseparable they really are. The past figures so prevalently in the present - and the future, one presumes - that it can't be ignored or glossed over.
Many, like me, have puzzled over the name. Oscar Wao? Is he Asian? I thought he was Dominican? Does he have an Asian father? Well, that question too is answered about halfway through, and like every other circumstance surrounding Oscar's life, it's both funny and a little sad, and not even close to what you probably think it is!
A good and thought-provoking read, in my opinion. Oscar is a character sure to stay with you for awhile.
a blend of two worlds August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao feels a bit like a Spanish lesson. That is, if you are learning Spanish from an average teenager in the DR, as Diaz likes to call it. Junot Diaz's brilliant integration of English and Spanish throughout the book not only creates a style that is rich in culture, but also reflects on the journey of our protagonist, Oscar, who struggles to find the balance between his American and Dominican identities. This tug-of-war between the cultures, standards, and stereotypes in America versus those in the Dominican Republic is a recurring theme throughout the book as Oscar, after returning to the DR for the first time in many years, decides where he fits in the most. Fitting in has never been easy for Oscar; he is our typical overweight, awkward, Sci-Fi-obsessed, Dungeons & Dragons-addicted, but still very lovable, nerd. For obvious reasons he has always had trouble fitting in at school, and even more trouble landing a date with a girl, which eventually leads to Oscar's many years of isolation, depression, and loss of hope. We wonder if these failures are merely results of his geeky, awkward nature or if they are because of something bigger: fuku. Diaz explains that fuku americanus is "a curse or a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World." This curse, that we learn has hit almost every member of Oscar's family, is evidently now hitting him, or so the narrator likes us to believe. This presence of fuku adds a mysterious eeriness to the story, but also serves to string Oscar into his family's common experience with the curse. This reminds him, and us for that matter, that as much as he tries to assimilate and fit some American mold, he can never completely understand who he is unless he embraces his country, culture, and family heritage. Diaz's use of the stories and experiences of Oscar's family members is the perfect way, in my opinion, to show that all of this is an integral part of who Oscar is and who he will become. Diaz finds a way to throw us from world to world as he shifts protagonists, settings, tones, and even narrators, taking us on an exhilarating, yet sometimes bone-chilling, virtual tour of Oscar's family history. Junot Diaz's shrewd, intelligent, and incredibly fun novel will surely keep you on the edge of your seat with his relatable, authentic characters and their engrossing stories. His language is sprinkled with Spanish expressions, some of which you will go right over your head, and rich with authenticity, wit, and humor that he cleverly brings into his lengthy but fascinating footnotes. Although it took some pages to get used to Diaz's unusual writing style and cultural innuendos, I came to love the characters and really enjoyed the book. I highly recommend it!
A delectable Dominican dish of (mostly) unsavory, (oft cursed) characters August 18, 2008
What is so great about this book? First of all, the characters: a heavy-set, hopeless romantic, computer geek, word nerd, and aspiring writer Huascar de Leon; his lovely, loving sister Lola; their orphaned, abused, hard-working, (abusive) mother Belicia; and, surprisingly, the (story of the) siblings' maternal grandparents, Dr. Abelard Luis Cabral and his wife, a nurse, Socorro; as well as Yunior, the sometimes narrator sometimes love of Lola, who is Oscar's friend and roommate (not necessarily in that order. Second, the subjects: infatuation (Oscar's almost constant state of mind), love, sex, abuse, torture and murder. If that doesn't sound thrilling enough, the most wondrous thing about it is Diaz' crazy, fast-paced, in-your-face (p 19) "You didn't know we were occupied twice in the twentieth century? Don't worry, when you have kids they won't know the U.S. occupied Iraq either," writing style (filled with political and historical footnotes about The Dominican Republic and Trujillo, referred to as Mr. F[word]face), which includes more than a smattering of Spanish words, phrases and slang and enough overt, graphic descriptions of sexual situations and profanity to make the average reader squirm. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is unusual in tone (sort of like, just your average Dominican Republic-born street-wise "n" word (used frequently in the book) letting the reader in on how it REALLY is) and style and an absolutely excellent read. Also good: Graceland by Chris Abani, Smila's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
Wow for Wao August 18, 2008
This book had the potential to be five stars and came up just short for me, which is a bit of a disappointment for me. It is one of the most original and refreshing novels that I've read in recent memory. Diaz's voice is distinctive, he takes risks and creates wonderfully entertaining and vivid characters.
The reasons I felt this didn't merit five stars and "classic" status are:
(1) I thought the last 10% of the book was disappointing and paled in comparison with the brilliance of the other 90% of the book. Diaz could have done a lot better with Oscar's demise and for me the plot line he took didn't resonate.
(2) More Oscar. The title and the opening of the book create a sense of desire and expectation for more of Oscar. I don't want to suggest that the other parts of the novel that focused on Oscar's sister Lola, and her boyfriend Yunior, his mother and other characters were not really strong and keep me entertained. Far from it, the parts of the book that focused on these characters added such dimension to the story. However, I wanted more of Oscar. I would have been content if Diaz expanded the scale of this novel and would have gladly read another 200 pages about Oscar. It seems that Diaz wanted to avoid an "epic" family saga and in doing so, I think he short-changed Oscar.
I don't speak Spanish and was not bothered by Diaz's frequent use of Spanish. I probably would have appreciated these little bits of dialogue and description quite a bit. However, I can't find criticism with Diaz for utilizing this mechanism within his novel.
Overall, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" is a must read. It certainly is one of the most original "American" novels you'll read. It wanted to be a classic and certainly had the ambition and scope to be. In my mind, it just came up a little bit short. I'll definitely read his collection of stories, "Drown", and look forward to his next project given his unique style and voice.
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